SC refuses interim bail to retd Justice CS Karnan, no suspension of jail term

On Tuesday, the absconding judge was arrested from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, more than a month after the Supreme Court sentenced him to six months imprisonment.

New Delhi, June 21: In more trouble for Calcutta High Court judge Justice (retired) CS Karnan, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant interim bail to him. The apex court also refused suspension of Karnan’s six months jail sentence for contempt of court. The top court said the seven-judge Bench has already passed an order and only the special Bench can hear it.

Karnan is being taken to Kolkata by the West Bengal Police.

Chennai: Justice (retd) CS Karnan being taken to Kolkata by West Bengal police. pic.twitter.com/3NsNQZscdn

— ANI (@ANI_news) June 21, 2017

On Tuesday, the absconding judge was arrested from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, more than a month after the Supreme Court sentenced him to six months imprisonment. A team of West Bengal Police arrested 62-year-old Karnan, who earned the dubious distinction of being the first sitting high court judge to be awarded a jail term by the apex court, from a private resort at Malumichampatti, about six kms from Coimbatore, a top police official had said.

According to the official, Karnan, who had been staying there for the last few days, resisted the arrest and argued with the police. However, he was taken into custody, he had said. “We have arrested former high court judge Karnan from south India,” a senior officer of the CID had said.

Three police teams from Kolkata were camping in Coimbatore for the last three days and traced Karnan on the basis of his mobile phone calls.

The arrest came eight days after Karnan ended his tenure as a fugitive from law with no customary farewell being given to him in the Calcutta High Court in view of his absence. He has been evading arrest since May 9 after being given the jail term by a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar.

Though Karnan arrived in Chennai on the day the Supreme Court gave the verdict, his whereabouts were not known thereafter with Kolkata Police continuing the search.

Karnan had on May 12 moved the apex court for relief, saying neither the high courts nor their judges, were “subordinate” to it. He had sought recall of the apex court’s order, contending he could not be held guilty of contempt of court.

Karnan, who enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu in 1983, was appointed a judge of the Madras High Court in 2009. He was transferred to the Calcutta High Court on March 11, 2016.

He was transferred from the Madras High Court for his repeated allegations and run-ins with its then chief justice and fellow judges.

With inputs from PTI